


A Boy Named Gale

by KingAlanI



Category: Hunger Games (2012), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Family, Gen, Song Parody, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-20
Updated: 2012-06-20
Packaged: 2017-12-03 07:26:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/695747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingAlanI/pseuds/KingAlanI
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By Alan Gilfoy in the world of Suzanne Collins, based on the Shel Silverstein/Johnny Cash song A Boy Named Sue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Boy Named Gale

**Author's Note:**

> I had the idea for awhile, but on Father’s Day 2012 I decided to actually write it. It was difficult to take a novelty song about a bad dad and rewrite it as a serious piece about a good one (both Mr. Hawthorne, and Gale as Posy’s father figure.)
> 
> Gale’s name (sounds like ‘Gail’?) is not an issue for him. If you’re that strong, people won’t bother you about it (a theme in the original song). Also, if you look like him, the girls won’t care. 
> 
> I avoided writing about any specific resolution to Peeta vs. Gale or other such canon/AU issues.
> 
> The original song had AABCCB rhyme scheme; I wrote this with AABBCC.

Well, Father died when I was fourteen

Left an awful lot to us, including another

I stood up as the oldest brother

I don’t blame him for anything, really.

But the oddest thing that he ever did -

As soon as I was born, he went and named me ‘Gale’.

.

He said I’d become as strong

As the wind that blew that night.

The swooning girls

Made it clear he was right.

But whatever we did, we barely scraped by  
I tell ya, life ain’t easy for folks from the Seam

.

When he departed, I grew up quick and mean

My fists got hard and my wits got keen

I’d dart from grove to grove to hide my ‘crime’

But, I was born a rebel,

natural for living on our level.

I wanted to kill the man who brought forth the awful Games

.

Towards the end of the summer

The Capitol selected two to murdah

I took the devils’ tesserae deal

The others’ lives they’d never steal

Father’s dedication was nothing run-of-the-mill

I knew I had very large shoes to fill.

.

Whenever I thought of our own sweet dad

The Capitol’s damned mines made me mad

Yet I knew I had to follow him into the pits below

As part of my duty to have the Hawthornes see tomorrow  
I had trapped many a rabbit

But now the Capitol did that to me, damn it

.

Well, it hit us all hard right in the heart

We all feared the day of an empty cart

Never thought it would come so soon

And we had just shared a woodland moon

That night he said his last goodbye

And one would never hear him say hello, oh why?

.

Nothing left for the tomb

A widow with a full womb

‘For the heavy weight now on your shoulder’

With Undersee’s medal I grew bolder.

The mayor turned to ‘Catnip’ Everdeen next

From her I saw the glance of one who understood best

.

Dad would say: "Son, this world is rough

And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough

One day I might not be there to help you along

At least I helped you grow up strong.”

I vowed the others would not die

As I gave him my last goodbye

.

I would have to fight one hell of a fight

I’d need to summon every ounce of my might

People said I couldn’t.

Accept that answer I wouldn’t

The birth though full of pain was the only thing rosy

I’m a son of the man that wanted a Posy

.

I got all choked up early that morn

When she called me da-da. I still called her sis,

but I came away with a different point of view.

I think about Father now and then,

every time I try and every time I win,

and when I have a son, I think I’m gonna name him…

Tom! Or Jake! Any damn thing but Gale! I still hate that name!


End file.
